The Secret to Your Pet's Wellness

The Secret to Your Pet's Wellness

So what is the secret to wellness?

At MercyVet we believe it is the individualized approach to medicine, where the unique characteristics of pets and their guardians are taken into account, where there is integration of Eastern and Western veterinary philosophies and techniques for the best possible outcome: happy and healthy pets!

What does it take for your cat or dog to be healthy? Is health merely lack of disease? What is the best way to feed a dog or a cat? Should you give the them supplements? How about vaccinations, are those really necessary?

These are only a few of the questions that animal guardians ask us every day. There is a wealth of information on pet's health available on the Internet, in books and magazines, and from manufactures of animal health products. How can you possibly sort through all these opinions and information and make the right choices for your pet?

Only a trained professional can help you sort through all the information and find what is right for your pet based on your animal's specific situation and environment.

You need to get help from your veterinarian.

What can your vet do?

What happens at the vet's office when you bring your pet in for a check up? After weighing your pet and taking past and current history, the doctor tries to gather as much information as possible. She seeks to understand your household, how many pets and kids there are, their inter-relationships, the pets' health histories, preferences and sensitivities. You share your observations and concerns. A picture of your pet will form in the doctor's mind as an individual who may be young or old, lean or heavy, prone to skin or intestinal problems, with a certain background, living in or outdoors, etc. Based on this information, your veterinarian will make decisions on what (if anything) needs to be done and he/she will set priorities.

If, for example, your pet has a weight problem, should the diet be changed, and, if so, to what? Your overweight dog may not need a different diet as much as it may need more exercise. An underweight cat may need a blood test to rule out thyroid problems rather than just more food. Missing the correct diagnosis could not only sabotage your efforts to help your pet's weight problem, it could jeopardize your best friend's health. You can actually harm your pet by changing their diet, particularly when disease is present.

Setting the priorities

First of all, the doctor will rule out organic disease and achieve a diagnosis. Then she will make a list of the most important health issues, the most necessary supplements, things to look for and things to avoid. Your vet will use her education and experience to determine the best way to protect your pet against illness and against drugs' deleterious effects. The vet will teach you to examine your pet, to read the pet's signs and monitor progress. Once you clearly understand what the important issues with your pet are, you will be better able to run specific web or library searches to learn more.

Optimize nutrition

Everyone knows that the best foods are the real foods but not every food you eat is good for your pet. Your vet can teach you what part of your family's diet can be shared with your pets. You can learn how to prepare healthy pet foods from scratch and how to read labels on canned pet food. Your veterinarian can help you find the best way to feed your pet that fits both their needs and your life style.

Should you give your pet supplements?

While sometimes your pet may benefit from when and how you can supplement your pet with things like fresh, raw vegetables or organic organ meats so they can enjoy these additional health benefits too

What about vaccinations?

There has been a lot of controversy about revaccinations in the veterinary community. Discuss these issues with your veterinarian. There is a mounting body of evidence that over-vaccinating our pets isn't a sound, nor safe procedure. You now have the option of having your pet's antibody levels tested rather than automatically giving a booster vaccine that may not be needed. At MercyVet we recommend vaccinating only when risks outweigh benefits.